


Of Elvish Equitation and Shiny Things

by HASA_Archivist



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Akallabêth/Last Alliance, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-26
Updated: 2002-08-11
Packaged: 2018-04-06 06:39:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4211851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HASA_Archivist/pseuds/HASA_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two elves, some wine, and a high king's horse. Iluvatar help us all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Drunk Elves Are Scheming Elves

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the HASA Transition Team: This story was originally archived at [HASA](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Henneth_Ann%C3%BBn_Story_Archive), which closed in February 2015. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in February 2015. We posted announcements about the move, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this author, please contact The HASA Transition Team using the e-mail address on the [HASA collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hasa/profile).

**Summary:** Two elves, some wine, and a high king's horse. Iluvatar help us all.  
  
 **Setting:** Choose a year between the War of Wrath and the Last Alliance. :-) I'm not too picky about where this falls in the timestream.  
  
 **Characters:** ( _canon_ ) Elrond, Glorfindel, Gil-galad; ( _original_ ) Kaane, Rokquente, Nornotulka  
  
 **Spoilers:** none  
  
For the purpose of this fic, I am assuming that Glorfindel of Gondolin returned from the Halls of Mandos as Glorfindel of Imladris, simply because it makes for a better story in my eyes. If it would serve me better, I would just as readily assume that the two are completely different entities.  
  
This fic is a spin-off of my long humor fic, "Faint," but you needn't know that story to enjoy this one.  
  
Thanks go to my reviewers for pointing out to me that Tolkien prefered the adjective "elvish" instead of "elfish," because it's actually the one I prefer as well. I simply used "elfish" in the original posting of this because I had somehow been under the impression that it was the form Tolkien would have prefered. As you can see, I'm not exactly a Tolkien scholar. Please excuse any adjectives that I missed in making my corrections.  
  
Disclaimer: I am in no official capacity associated with _The Lord of the Rings_ or any other literay works of J.R.R. Tolkien, or with those who hold the rights to _The Lord of the Rings_ and J.R.R. Tolkien's literary works. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and is in no way earning money for its author. Elrond, Glorfindel and Gil-galad are the creations of J.R.R. Tolkien and the property of his estate. I only lay claim to the situation in this story, and the characters Kaan, Rokquente and Nornotulka.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Of Elvish Equitation and Shiny Things  
by AngelsFall  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Laughter and cheers filled the palace as elves danced and drank in joyful fraternity. Fair and dark heads alike swayed in tune with the merry and sometimes even raucous songs that echoed in the halls and drifted into the open night air. Servants caroused with lords, warriors shared secret laughter with scholars, and distinguished artists dallied with kitchen maids as the wine flowed freely. On this night, an elf was not classified by his birth or craft; rather, he was was subject to several happily vague designations: painfully sober, delightfully tipsy, hopelessly drunk or decidedly unconscious.  
  
In this maelstrom of celebration and good-hearted gluttony, High King Gil-galad sat surrounded by his closest friends and advisors, as well as emissaries from Elven realms across Middle-earth. The ruler of the Noldor hovered somewhere between the painfully sober and delightfully tipsy state of things, successfully balancing enjoyment with dignity. Several of his companions tipped the scale a little more heavily in favor of inebriation, but they bore their state well. At least, unlike some of the others in attendance, they were still sober enough to recall the reason behind the festivities.  
  
Surprisingly enough, that reason was actually rather mundane. It had been a year of relative peace and prosperity for the elves, who were ever oppressed by the looming darkness of the Enemy. Representatives of their many realms had come together to discuss the state of Middle-earth, and to consider plans for the coming year. Though a year was little more than a blink in a elvish lifespan, it was still time enough to achieve many things, and none wished to waste the advantage that the past quiet months might have granted them. First, however, in thanks for their good fortune and in honor of their visiting kin, the people of Lindon had come together at Gil-galad's invitation for a festival of vast proportions.  
  
Elrond, son of Earendil and Standard-bearer of Gil-galad, leaned towards the golden-haired elf seated on his right. "Glorfindel, have you seen such a sight in all your long years?"  
  
The elf in question laughed, his merriment brightening his already handsome features so that they seemed as beautiful as any star. "Nay, my friend, I have not! Have you, my king?"  
  
From his place beside Elrond, Gil-galad shook his dark head before answering the elf-lord. "Nay. 'Tis a fine sight though," he commented, his gray eyes dancing with mirth.  
  
The sight in question was in fact Nornotulka, a young elf of Greenwood and one of Thranduil's numerous relations. He had journeyed to Lindon with the elder prince to learn the intricacies of elvish politics. At present, however, he was attempting to teach a governess the intricacies of slight of hand, using a small gold coin and the fair she-elf's bodice to demonstrate. Needless to say, Nornotulka was also quite drunk and completely oblivious to his student's flustered attempts to shoo him away. She was a governess after all! What would the children think?  
  
"I wonder if she realizes how she is blushing," Glorfindel remarked as he leaned across the table to secure more wine for himself and his fellows. He offered it first to Gil-galad, who held up his hand in polite refusal. Glorfindel shrugged and then turned his attention to Elrond, who eagerly lifted his cup to be served.  
  
"I doubt," Elrond stated as his friend poured the wine, "that she even realizes how much wine she has consumed, let alone how it brings the color to her cheeks." He leaned back in his chair and sipped at his drink as Glorfindel turned to serving himself. "There will be at least one elf of Greenwood who will not retire in solitude this night."  
  
"Elrond," Gil-galad gently scolded, raising one eyebrow in a half-hearted attempt to appear scandalized at his friend's commentary.  
  
"Do not fear, your majesty," Elrond cried jovially, deliberately misinterpreting the older elf. He reached out and gave the king a hearty slap on the back, forcing Gil-galad to hastily set his goblet on the table for fear of upsetting it. "Glorfindel and I will find you a companion for the evening, if that is what you desire."  
  
The king did not have to feign shock now. "Elrond, I did not mean--"  
  
"Nay, Gil-galad!" Glorfindel interrupted him. "Do not protest. You need not deny yourself all pleasures merely because you are king! It is to be expected that on a night such as this, you would choose to enjoy the company of a fair woman. Come, tell us who we are to woo on your behalf. She shall be fair to look upon, I know as much, but in what manner? Shall she be tall and slender as the aged birch, or short and delicate as the young maple?"  
  
Seeing where his friend was going, Elrond threw his arm around Gil-galad's shoulder and joined the inquisition. "Will her hair ripple with the glow of calm waters under moonlight, or be dark and thick as the rich soil? Her skin will most certainly be flawless, but shall it be pale as the breast of a dove or have the slightly darker hue of rich cream?"  
  
"Forget not her eyes, Elrond!" Glorfindel declared. "They also must be considered. Would the king prefer to look into the depths of the oceans when he meets her gaze, or perhaps see the deep greens of the forests or the dark innocence of a doe? There are of course other colors one might--"  
  
"Ai! Glorfindel, see beyond her eyes to those thoughts and feelings that are in her heart!" Elrond insisted theatrically, wrapping his free arm about his friend's neck and pulling him close. Gil-galad was near-forgotten as his standard-bearer pressed his face close to Glorfindel's. "Will she have wisdom to rival Galadriel's, the gentility of Luthien? Will she speak with a sharp tongue and quick humor, or mild words suiting her sweet disposition?"  
  
Glorfindel shook his head happily and shrugged his shoulders as if throwing off a heavy mantle. Bird-like, he shoved his face even closer to Elrond's and whispered, "I know not. 'Tis Gil-galad's decision, and not my own."  
  
Elrond seemed to find this declaration hilarious. He threw his head back and laughed loudly, his body shaking so hard that he was at risk of spilling his wine in Glorfindel's lap. The other elf blithely snatched the cup away from his friend and set it safely on the table. This seemed to bring Elrond to his senses, for the laughter suddenly stopped and he possessively reclaimed his drink.  
  
Any offense that Glorfindel might have given by stealing Elrond's cup away from him was quickly forgotten in the face of eliciting an answer from Gil-galad. The high king's tormentors returned their attention to him. As he had with Glorfindel moments before, Elrond leaned close to Gil-galad and pulled him close. Glorfindel leaned across Elrond and swept his hand--and the goblet grasped in it--across the air in a gesture incorporating the crowd around them.  
  
"Come, my lord," Glorfindel insisted, "choose a lady, and we shall win her attentions for you!"  
  
At such close quarters, Gil-galad couldn't help but smell the odor of alcohol on Glorfindel and Elrond's breaths, hidden though it was beneath the sweeter scents of the grapes used to make the elvish wine and the various fruits both elves had been consuming along with it. He thought that Glorfindel's cheeks were a little flushed, and Elrond's raised hand--and the goblet in it--seemed a little unsteady. He feared what embarrassment the two would saddle him with if he allowed them to run lose with such a scheme in their heads. He would have to distract them from it.  
  
Settled on a plan of his own, the high king smiled slowly and reached out to his friends, pulling them into an intimate huddle. He resisted the urge to wrinkle his nose as the smell of alcohol drew stronger, thoroughly convinced now that the two other elves were straying into the territory of the hopelessly drunk. That might prove to be in his favor, however. Clouded as they were with drink, the pair's minds would more readily absorb the tale that Gil-galad was about to spin.  
  
"I had intended to keep such..." Gil-galad paused to carefully consider his choice of words, furrowing his brows in thought. "...sensitive information to myself, but I see that there will be no disguising it from either of you."  
  
In answer, Elrond and Glorfindel each lowered his goblet-hand, the wine now secondary to whatever gossip Gil-galad was about to entrust them with.  
  
When Gil-galad did not immediately continue, Elrond gave him a gentle shove and urged, "Go on, my lord."  
  
Gil-galad frowned and sighed, as though about to reveal something of the utmost importance. It truly was a pity to so raise his friends' expectations. _But they have practically begged for such treatment_ , the king reminded himself.  
  
With that in mind, Gil-galad leaned into the center of their tiny circle, his gaze darting from one face to the other as he spoke in a tone usually reserved for the tense moments just before launching an ambush against the Enemy's forces.  
  
"There is a fine lady, exceedingly fair, whom neither of you has had the pleasure of meeting. She is young, yet her wisdom is unquestionable and her kindness beyond measure." Gil-galad allowed a desirous smile to curl his lips as he sighed. "I am to meet her after I retire from the festivities so that we may continue our personal celebrations elsewhere."  
  
At this information, both Elrond and Glorfindel burst into hearty laughter, choking it off only long enough to toast their king and gulp hearty mouthfuls of wine.  
  
"Luck to you, my friend!" Glorfindel enthused, pounding his king on the back.  
  
"And luck to the fair lady!" Elrond added slyly, pulling his friend into a strong embrace and whispering in his ear. Gil-galad blanched at Elrond's suggestions of just how he and the "fair lady" could enjoy themselves. He hadn't realized that the other elf knew such things! Had Glorfindel been sharing more of his tales? Gil-galad knew from the soldiers in his armies that the fair elf had many stories of his exploits with the fairer sex, several stemming from memories of his previous life. Such tales left Gil-galad wondering how it was that Glorfindel did not have a veritable horde of descendants to support. If only one third of the women he claimed to have been with had born children, the elf-lord would require his own kingdome to house them all.  
  
The very elf that Gil-galad marvelled at interrupted the king's musings. "My lord, if you are to engage kinder and fairer company than ours this night, we will leave you to your devices." Glorfindel rose to his feet and wobbled a little, but his balance was saved when Elrond also rose and slung an arm around his shoulders. The two wobbling elf-lords held each other up, grasping their goblets as though they were supporting staffs rather than the source of their imbalance.  
  
"Good night, my lord, and fare you well," Elrond said, bowing and pulling Glorfindel unsteadily down with him. Gil-galad had to hide a smile at the picture the two made, like a newborn beast uncertain of what to do with the limbs dangling from its body.  
  
"Good night, my lord," Gil-galad echoed. He pulled Elrond upright again, and the two led each other away from the king, using every chance encounter with another elf as an excuse to raise their goblets and take another sip. They had been forced to refill their vessels three times before they finally wandered out of Gil-galad's sight and into the chill night air.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The cool winds struck Elrond's face as he left the warmth of the king's halls. Glorfindel still staggered against him, but Elrond hardly noticed, being rather unsteady himself. His perceptions were pleasantly blurred and sharpened at the same time; the stars seemed to dance near his head, while the weight of his own body was barely noticeable. Somewhere in his mind, Elrond knew that he was drunk and would likely regret it in the morning, but that realization was easily muffled by high spirits and a gradual loss of inhibitions.  
  
Away from most of the visiting officials and, indeed,the majority of the revelers, Elrond and Glorfindel were free to enjoy each other's company and the gradual loosening of their tongues. The friends always spent a great deal of time together, but every year that time seemed to grow less as their responsibilities weighed more heavily upon them. Elrond sighed morosely and stared at the ground, watching the way his shadow advanced over the carefully tended blades of grass just before his foot came down upon them. They had peace now, but how long would that last? The Enemy would not simply forget the elves and allow them to prosper. No, as much joy as they saw this night, the elves would not be able to give it immortal life to match their own.  
  
Beside Elrond, Glorfindel stopped and gently shook his friend's arm. "Elrond, you are grown quiet," he commented.  
  
The younger elf raised his head and blinked as the movement caused his vision to blur. Oh, yes, he told himself. He was definitely drunk and not fully in control of himself. That was when he realized that he wanted to do something fun.  
  
Elrond turned to face Glorfindel, a gleam in his eyes that many claimed would unsettle a dragon. He grasped his friend by the forearm and pulled him close. "Glorfindel, does Gil-galad ride on the morrow?" he asked surreptitiously.  
  
Looking addled, as though he had struck his head, Glorfindel nodded slowly and carefully extracted his arm from Elrond's tight grip. "He does."  
  
Very slowly, Elrond smiled, and the transformation was remarkable. Even Glorfindel, who had known Elrond's ancestors and Elrond himself for a great many centuries, would have been hard-pressed to recognize the son of Earendil now. The younger elf bared his teeth as he smiled, and his eyes flashed as though he were about to enter battle. Glorfindel recognized the look. It was one that he had seen many a time after egging his friend into actions that were as entertaining as they were ill-advised. He chuckled softly and put aside his goblet, no longer seeking pleasure in wine.  
  
"What plan have you?" he asked expectantly.  
  
Elrond once again slung his arm around Glorfindel's shoulder. As he led his friend from the court, he whispered excitedly about his plan. The hushed dialogue was intermittently broken by barely muted laughter. The plan should prove to be very entertaining indeed.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Like most of the Noldor, and indeed, most of the elves in Arda, Gil-galad maintained an expansive stable. The complex stretched across vast acres of land nestled beside the palace proper and protected by high walls. Several barns sheltered the horses of the king's household, from the newborn foal to the veteran charger. There were numerous houses for herders, trainers, grooms and exercise boys, as Gil-galad maintained a breeding and training program as well as a stable of experienced animals for regular service.  
  
It was nearing midnight when Elrond and Glorfindel entered the main stables, where the horses of the king and his closest attendants were kept. A groom on watch for the night nodded to the pair as they entered.  
  
"'Tis a fair night, my lords," he greeted them, tilting his head back to enjoy the breeze.  
  
"Indeed it is, Rokquente," Glorfindel replied, for he was the more sober of the two nobles. "Tell me, is Kaane stabled this night?"  
  
"He is. His majesty intends to ride him tomorrow for his morning exercise." Rokquente narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Out of curiousity, my lords, is there a reason you wish to know?"  
  
Elrond actually giggled. He took a step towards Rokquente and gestured him close. Wary of the elf-lord, but intrigued all the same, Rokquente did as he was bidden.  
  
"We intend to give his majesty something of a surprise in the morning," Elrond confided. "We had hoped that Kaane might help us."  
  
Rokquente actually smiled at that. He had known Elrond when the elf-lord was but a child, and was used to the antics that the other occasionally indulged in. They were rare, as Elrond was usually a most studious and reserved elf, but Rokquente had always enjoyed them. He had helped Elrond on more than one occasion. The recollection of Gil-galad's flustered surprise the first time he had done so set Rokquente to laughing under his breath.  
  
"What manner of surprise do you wish to leave for our king?" he asked mildly, leaning back against the stable wall. The mare in the stall behind him pushed her nose over his shoulder, and he stroked it idly as he waited for Elrond's reply.  
  
"That, my dear Rokquente, would betray our secrets." Elrond winked and danced away, Glorfindel close behind him. The young standard-bearer glanced over his shoulder as he strode down the long aisle and called back, "It is better that you wait. Your surprise combined with Gil-galad's own will make the experience much more rewarding."  
  
Rokquente scoffed at that. Elf-lord or not, Elrond would do nothing in this stable that Rokquente did not see. He gave the mare behind him a final pat on the neck and followed the pair of innebriated elves down the aisle.  
  
"A good evening to you, Master Kaane," Glorfindel was saying when Rokquente caught up with them. The golden-haired elf had opened the horse's stall door and held out a hand for Kaane to sniff. The great black charger stepped forward and shoved his soft nose against the elf's hand, then shook his mane and pressed his forehead to Glorfindel's chest.  
  
 _He's a way with horses_ , Rokquente reflected as he watched. If possible, Kaane trusted Glorfindel more than he did Gil-galad.  
  
Of course, he also loved Elrond, and the younger elf-lord was about to demonstrate one of the reasons why. The son of Earendil stepped into the stall and greeted the horse in soft tones. Kaane withdrew his head from Glorfindel and turned his gaze on Elrond. His delicately curved ears shot forward and he impatiently shook his forelock away from his eyes. Elrond laughed and held out a hand, palm stretched flat to reveal sliced fragments of carrot. Kaane went to the elf and eagerly consumed the treat, the sound of his lips flapping comically against each other like that of a child clapping in glee.  
  
"We've a small surprise planned for your master," Elrond whispered in the horse's ear, "and we require your aid." Kaane shoved his head against the elf's shoulder. Elrond laughed. "Yes, we shall give you more carrots for your time." He reached up and fondly scratched the horse behind his ear.  
  
From his place at the great stallion's shoulder, Glorfindel turned to regard Rokquente. "Have you any sheen?" he asked.  
  
Rokquente frowned and nodded. "Of course. I have several flasks. Why do you--" The question froze on his lips as realization hit him. "You wouldn't," he gasped out, more delighted than he wanted to admit.  
  
"Indeed, we would," Elrond answered, leaving off stratching Kaane. The horse snorted in indignation, but dropped his head contentedly when Glorfindel began to rub the sensitive skin high on his withers.  
  
"Great lords you may be, but you are also rascals in your own right," Rokquente admonished the other elves. The glimmer in his eyes betrayed his pleasure, though, and the pair shook with mirth. "Very well," the groom said over their laughter. "I will get some sheen and rags for you, and carrots for poor Kaane, whom you are doubtless depriving of much needed sleep with your antics."  
  
As he turned his back and went to the tack room to retrieve the desired items, he heard Kaan adding his own laughter, in the form of several brief whinnies, to the mixture.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
By the time Rokquente returned with the sheen, Elrond and Glorfindel had Kaane to the point of collapsing with pleasure. Each elf-lord stood beside the horse, vigorously rubbing his knuckles and fingernails over the horse's hide near the line of his spine. Kaane had his head down, his nose touching his straw bedding. He swayed and wiggled his nose as he tried to lean first into Elrond's touch, then Glorfindel's.  
  
When Rokquente entered the stall, both elves left off the massage treatment with apologies to Kaane. Slowly, as if coming out of a trance, the horse shook himself and straightened. He raised his head as Elrond and Glorfindel each took a rag and flask from Rokquente. He sniffed at the rag Glorfindel held as the elf-lord poured the contents of the flask onto the material. Immediately, Kaane raised his upper lip and shook his head, then snorted and sneezed to clear his nostrils.  
  
Elrond laughed and upended his own flask against his rag. "Do not pretend that you have never smelled sheen before, Kaane. I have seen you groomed for many an occasion, and I know that, handsome as it is, your coat does not glow in such a manner without a little help."  
  
Kaane bumped Elrond's elbow with his head, but it only caused the elf to laugh harder. He smiled and twisted the cap back on his flask, then set to work on Kaane's coat. He rubbed the damp rag against the stallion's neck first, then worked his way slowly down the length of the charger's body. Glorfindel did the same on the other side. Rokquente stood back and watched, occasionally handing a carrot slice to Kaane.  
  
Elrond and Glorfindel had to rewet their rags several times, and once they had finished with Kaane's neck and body, they focused their attentions on his legs. Finally, they straightened, and Glorfindel went to Kaane's head. He carefully wiped the almost dry rag over the strong lines of Kaane's face, whispering to him as he worked.  
  
When they were done, Elrond and Glorfindel stood back to admire their work. Kaane gleamed brightly, like the darkest of sapphires. To compare him to ebony would have been unfair, because that stone could never give off such subtle, dark hints of blue under the moonlight as Kaane's coat did.  
  
Pleased with their doings, the elves took the carrots handed to them by Rokquente and offered them to Kaane. He took them hurriedly, all the while trying to maintain his dignity and appearing more comical for his trouble.  
  
Elrond and Glorfindel each gave the horse one last pat before slipping out of his stall. They thanked Rokquente as he secured the door behind them. Then they stumbled into the night, at last ready to seek their beds until the morning.  
  
Feeling somewhat guilty, Elrond looked up at where his father sailed the sky. Then he shrugged. What matter was it if Earendil disapproved? He was not exactly in a position to scold his son, and Elrond was certain that, should they ever encounter each other again, the night's actions would be the least of his father's concerns.  
  
Smiling to himself, the elf leaned heavily against Glorfindel and yawned. He shook his head to clear it and blinked, thinking, _And now, we are tired drunks._  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
 **AUTHOR'S NOTES**  
  
I was thinking Fresian when I created Kaane. Don't ask me why, but Gil-galad seems like a Fresian man to me. Never mind that they wouldn't have had Fresians in Middle-earth. :-) They're elves with thousands upon thousands of years to perfect their breeding methods and produce a similar animal. Besides, since the dear king is riding without a saddle, he'd probably appreciate a horse with a broad back and defined withers. And now I'm left wondering how smooth a ride a Fresian would be bareback, because I've never had the opportunity to sit one.  
  
 **Original Characters' Name Translations**  
Nornotulka: Quenya, translates to Strong/Steadfast Oak  
Kaane: Quenya word for Valor (a bit cheesy, I know, but I've seen worse on many a jumping circuit)  
Rokquente: Quenya, translates to Horse Speaker (and as I stated when I begged for help translating this, I was *not* thinking _The Horse Whisperer_ when I came up with the name because (1) I don't think the book is all that good and (2) I'm jaded now that everyone and his brother seems to have a "horse whispering" technique. I respect trainers who understand horses that well and would love to attend a clinic with them, but there was a point a few years ago where so-called whisperers were popping out of the woodwork and flooding my mailbox with special offers.)  
  
Many thanks go to Nemis for helping me with the elfish forms of my original characters' names! I didn't really flail around for names that actually sounded nice, because it's a humor fic.  
  



	2. Pretty Horses Are Slippery Horses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two elves, some wine, and a high king's horse. Iluvatar help us all.

Glorfindel somehow managed to wake early the next morning. When he first left his dreams, he found his sight was fuzzy and his head felt somewhat disembodied. He blinked hurriedly, and the clouds of mixed colors slowly resolved themselves into the familiar lines of his bedroom. He rose, but quickly put his hand to his head in a vain effort to quell the throbbing behind his eyes. Every detail of the night before came clear in his mind, and he winced as he recalled how much wine he had consumed.  
  
Careful now of his aching head, the elf-lord got to his feet and padded towards his bathroom, where he knew a basin of lavender-scented water awaited him. He noted briefly that he still wore his clothes from last night. The elf looked down at them, thankful to see that the carefully worked green and gold silk had not suffered any ill effects from his brief foray into debauchery.  
  
As Glorfindel bent over his wash basin, he briefly considered going back to bed. After all, the sun had not yet climbed above the horizon if the muted light in his rooms was anything to go by, and there was time still to rest and regain his equilibrium before the remainder of the court was roused.  
  
Indeed, Glorfindel could not quite fathom what had prompted him to wake at this hour in the first place! Granted, he often rose to watch the sunrise, just as Gil-galad himself did, but he usually slept in after such celebration as he had engaged in last night.  
  
The thought of Gil-galad and the sunrise nagged at Glorfindel as he straightened and dried his face. He frowned at his reflection in the mirror, the lavender fragrance of the water for once doing nothing to soothe him. Why would his mind's brief touching on Gil-galad trouble him so? Had he done something last night that the high king would be angered with? Or had the _high king_ done something to be ashamed of by the light of day?  
  
Unable to settle on an answer, Glorfindel returned to his bedroom and headed towards his wardrobe. As he pulled his fine tunic over his head, he let his mind wander over the landscape of the previous night. He and Elrond had been teasing Gil-galad about spending the night with a woman, but the high king had assured them that he needed no help of theirs to find a willing lady. Was that what troubled Glorfindel? He didn't think so. While Gil-galad did not engage in such activities often, he was still subject to certain desires and it was expected that he satisfy them, so long as he was discrete and genteel.  
  
No, Glorfindel's troubled thoughts had nothing to do with Gil-galad's more private pursuits. What else then? He remembered leaving the king and being led out onto the lawn by Elrond, but they had done nothing there but sip their wine and talk.  
  
Then it came to him as he laid his hands over the delicately carved marigolds that served as handles to his wardrobe's drawers. He and Elrond _had_ talked--about setting in motion a jest with Gil-galad at its center.  
  
Glorfindel cursed himself for a fool and hastily drew out some suitable clothing. He had to hurry to Elrond's chambers and rouse the younger elf, or they would be too late.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Not for the first time in his life, Glorfindel thanked the Valar for the elfish talent of walking in complete silence. He did not have to fear waking the whole household with his hurried steps, and thus made good time to Elrond's chambers. Once there, he didn't even bother to knock on the doors. He pushed them open, knowing that they were rarely locked.  
  
The ancient elf wasted no time in the main room, having no interest in the sitting area. Neither did he give the large study more than a cursory glance to ascertain that Elrond was not there. His hurried strides carried him to the doors of his friend's bedroom, which stood partially ajar, as if Elrond had stumbled in and halfheartedly pushed them closed after he passed.  
  
Just as Glorfindel had suspected, Elrond was sprawled on top of his covers, still clothed from the night before in dark blue silk with silver trim. The older elf went to his friend's side and shook him gently.  
  
"Wake, Elrond," he ordered softly. He watched with satisfaction as the younger elf blinked sleep away and hesitantly sat up.  
  
"Glorfindel?" he asked blearily, the hand that he raised to his brow showing that he too suffered upon waking as Glorfindel had.  
  
"Hurry and wash," Glorfindel instructed him. He didn't pause to see Elrond do as he asked, instead going to the wardrobe and busying himself with finding the other elf suitable clothes.  
  
The soft splashing of water reached Glorfindel's ears, and in a few moments, Elrond was beside him. Glorfindel hastily thrust a pair of nondescript brown leggings, much like his own, into the other's hands.  
  
"Here. You must change quickly, or we will not arrive before Gil-galad."  
  
"Gil-galad?" Elrond querried as Glorfindel set to work pulling off his tunic. "Why would we--Oh... _Oh!_ " Elrond's eyes widened in alarm as he realized what Glorfindel was talking about. Hurriedly, he changed into the brown leggings. Glorfindel was still fiddling with his tunic, and the two elves almost got into a hopeless tangle of limbs and fabric in their rush.  
  
Finally, Elrond was clad in the leggings, a pair of soft brown boots and a light blue tunic. He matched Glorfindel, save for the fact that the other was clad in a tunic of light green. Neither elf bothered with his hair, and seeing as they were already running dangerously behind if they wanted to outpace the king, they decided to expedite their journey by climbing down from Elrond's balcony rather than taking the long way through the palace.  
  
In a matter of moments, the elves were on the ground and running as quickly as their long legs and aching heads would allow. Thankfully, neither experienced the inconvenience of blurred vision now that they had been up and about for some minutes, and no new ill effects made themselves known.  
  
Still, the pair was slightly winded when they finally reached the stables. Rokquente was seated outside, enjoying a pouch of candied apple slices in the slowly warming predawn air. He raised a hand in greeting to the two lords as they neared him, then tipped his head in the direction of the open aisle.  
  
Glorfindel and Elrond read the message clearly. The king was already there, and engaged in his morning custom of greeting each of his horses and some of the others besides.  
  
Sighing in relief, the two troublemakers ducked into the shadows of another building, where they would be able to see Gil-galad, but he, in all likelihood, would not see them.  
  
Finally, the High King of the Noldor emerged from the stables, Kaane walking patiently at his side. The horse's head came up and his ears pricked as his hooves touched the grass, and Gil-galad laid a companionable hand over the crest of the stallion's neck. He leaned in to whisper something in Kaane's ear, and the horse shook his mane and snorted softly. Gil-galad smiled and nodded, leading the horse away between the stables and towards a large, unfenced field that stood within the palace walls.  
  
As he often did, Rokquente rose from his place at the stable doors and followed the king and Kaane to the grassy exercise grounds. Gil-galad was an excellent equestrian and Kaan a stunning horse, and it was not uncommon for some of the stablehands to watch their morning outings. It was a fine opportunity to marvel at the pair's talent and skill.  
  
Of course, Glorfindel and Elrond both knew that Rokquente had another motive for watching the king ride this morning.  
  
With the stable buildings and various equipment for cover, the two elf-lords had little difficulty following Gil-galad, Kaane and Rokquente to the field. Once there, they settled themselves behind a row of bushes that delineated one edge of the exercise field and waited.  
  
As the sun began to show its face over the top of the palace wall, Gil-galad leaned his forehead against Kaane's and whispered to him. The horse nickered and gently pushed at his master with his soft, whiskered nose. Gil-galad reached up and scratched behind his ears, then stood back and walked to his left shoulder.  
  
Kaane stood patiently as Gil-galad wrapped his left hand in his mane, then leapt lightly from the ground. Unlike a man, who would have likely landed roughly after such a maneuver, Gil-galad gently lowered his body onto the horse's broad back. He did not have to shift his position to find his balance or straighten clothes twisted about by mounting. The king touched his calves to Kaane's sides, and the horse moved into a ground-eating trot.  
  
From their hiding place, Glorfindel and Elrond watched expectantly as the king and horse moved out towards the middle of the field, but both knew that the fun was not quite here yet. They grinned, though, as they noticed an uncharacteristic sliding of Gil-galad's seat as Kaane trotted forward. It was a good sign  
  
After several minutes of warming up, Gil-galad finally shifted his seat forward and off of Kaane's back, touching him lightly with his heels. The horse exploded into a full gallop, neighing joyously with his head held high in the air--not seeming to care that he was suddenly riderless.  
  
Behind the bushes, Glorfindel and Elrond errupted into loud guffaws and fell to the ground, rolling as they clutched their pained sides.  
  
Gil-galad had not even had a chance to hold his seat, and barely the time to look surprised before he'd slipped straight off of Kaane's back to come crashing to the ground.  
  
"Did you...oh, sweet Elbereth...did you..." Elrond tried to force the words out around spasms of laughter, but couldn't quite manage.  
  
"Yes!" Glorfindel gasped, knowing full well what his friend meant. "He never suspected...even...even after...the sliding around..."  
  
"At the trot!" Elrond finished for him. In his glee at the success of their prank, the dark-haired elf unwittingly rolled out of the cover of the bushes, straight into Gil-galad's line of sight.  
  
Still in a state of confusion over what had happened, Gil-galad had picked himself up off the ground and turned towards where Rokquente sat in front of the hedge. The groom was smiling benignly and chewing on his candied apples, but Gil-galad somehow had the suspicion that the elf was trying not to explode into laughter--as someone else already had.  
  
Moments later, when Elrond rolled into view, Gil-galad was more than ready for him. He stalked to where the younger elf was still stretched out on the ground, helpless with merriment. He walked around the younger elf, who couldn't see him for the jolly tears that blurred his vision, and knelt down.  
  
"I should have expected to see both of you here," Gil-galad said sternly as his eyes took in Glorfindel in a similar state behind the bushes.  
  
The king's presence did nothing to stop the laughter, but it brought a small measure of control back to the mischief-makers. Elrond and Glorfindel both managed to gasp out, "Good morning, my lord," before dissolving into hysterical giggles again.  
  
Gil-galad sighed and rubbed his temples. They weren't drunk, he knew, but he suspected that wine nevertheless had had something to do with all of this.  
  
"Let me guess," he said tiredly. "You applied sheen to Kaane's coat."  
  
"Y...yes my lord," Glorfindel choked, wiping tears from his eyes.  
  
"And we were...especially careful," Elrond haltingly added around his laughter, "to be liberal...in its...application...over his back and...around his barrel..."  
  
In other words, they had been especially generous with applying the sheen directly where Gil-galad would be in contact with the horse. The king now realized how he had come off, and what the strange sensation at the trot had been. One never applied sheen in the place where one's seat and legs came in contact with the horse's body, because the bright shine it gave to the coat came with a price; the sheen made the horse's hair as slick as a wet otter's. Gil-galad had been able to maintain his balance well enough at a measured, level trot, but once Kaane had leapt into a full gallop, balance alone hadn't been enough. Without the usual grip afforded by the slight coarseness of a horse's coat, Gil-galad had literally slid straight off of his horse's back to hang in the air until gravity caught him and brought him crashing down.  
  
Feeling ancient and more than a little foolish for not noticing the slickness of Kaane's coat, Gil-galad flopped down on the ground beside Elrond. "I suppose you know," he said, "that it will be extremely difficult to clean that substance off."  
  
"I do...my lord," Elrond snickered.  
  
"And you do realize that you and Glorfindel shall be the ones faced with that difficulty?"  
  
"Indeed, my lord," Glorfindel piped up from Elrond's other side, not sounding in the least chagrinned.  
  
"And I suppose I should ask if you realize that I am aware you will get into almost as much trouble cleaning Kaane as you did putting that cursed sheen on him?"  
  
Elrond laughed and grasped Gil-galad's hand in mock solemnity. "Oh, most certainly, my lord."  
  
Gil-galad shook his head and tossed Elrond's hand away, aiming a playful blow at the younger elf's head. "Just tell me one thing," he said.  
  
"Of course, my lord!" Glorfindel replied, perhaps a touch too loudly.  
  
"How drunk were you when you had this idea?"  
  
"Oh, extremely," Glorfindel answered happily. "I hardly remembered that Elrond had suggested this little escapade in time for us to come watch the results of our work."  
  
Gil-galad sighed. "And I was told it would bring my house glory and honor to have two such elves in my service. The intent of Iluvatar is mysterious."  
  
"It is indeed," Elrond agreed. He paused, then grinned wickedly. "My lord."  
  
"That's enough of that," Gil-galad warned him.  
  
"Yes...my lord."  
  
Without even a moment's warning, Gil-galad was grappling with Elrond on the ground, and soon found himself beseiged by Glorfindel. The trio laughed as they wrestled in the dirt and grass, getting leaves tangled in their long hair and turning their clothing askew.  
  
On the other side of the hedge, Rokquente shook his head as he shuddered with suppressed laughter. Kaane flicked his ears in the equine equivalent of a shrug, wondering at the strange antics of two-legged creatures, as he daintily picked a candied apple from Rokquente's outstretched palm.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
 **AUTHOR'S NOTES**  
  
And there you have it. Three of my favorite elves (and yes, I realize that I have hordes of favorite elves) enjoying a morning of laughter and horseplay. This was incredibly fun to write, and many thanks go to everyone who so faithfully reviewed "Faint" and asked for me to keep adding to it, because if you hadn't, this story would never have happened.  
  
The sheen I talk about is of course equivalent to our modern show sheen (I presume the elves could have come up with some kind of formula that does the same thing). For non-horsey people, show sheen is a liquid that we apply to a horse's coat, mane or tail to give it an extra shine. It also makes the hair slick, so it's a great detangler, but it also is generally not used on the saddle area or anywhere else you might need a little friction. Saddles will actually slide if you put enough show sheen on the coat beneath them.  



End file.
